Nebraska coach Mike Riley lobbied for his return to coach the Cornhuskers next season after suffering a 56-14 loss to Iowa on Friday that capped the worst year of football at the school since 1961.

"When I go to bed tonight, I'll be hoping for that, because I would love to do this," Riley said. "I truly believe I'm exactly the right person to do this. The football parts, I've been doing it so long, we know how to fix, and we also are doing a good job recruiting."

Nebraska is widely expected to cut ties with Riley, who is 19-19 in three seasons. His team finished 4-8 this year, closing the season with four consecutive losses -- allowing more than 50 points in each of the final three.

The 64-year-old coach said he met early this week with first-year athletic director Bill Moos and received no indication of his job status. Riley said he has enjoyed his communication with Moos, hired last month to replace Shawn Eichorst, the AD who tabbed Riley in 2014 and was fired in September after Nebraska's loss to Northern Illinois.

Nebraska lost four consecutive home games for the first time since 1968-69.